A Serendipitious Day With Rachel

My 60th Blog Post =Whew -I can not believe it -Just a little muse to practice my writing -well :))

Last Saturday I went on a trip thru Boscov's Travel Center and Atlantic Cape Community College. I planned to go alone -I had put out the word to various friends that always ask what i am doing next. I have time and interest -but little disposal money -so i really search for fun cheap and maybe ever free stuff to do. It is difficult to find free stuff -which is why i guess i spend so much time on the computer. It is my library/encyclopedia/ communicator and just neat almost free thing to do.

But no one was able to go -so I signed up solo.

The day bus trip was sold as: " -trace the path of our immigrant ancestors at Ellis island and take the Ferry back to Battery park for a guided tour of Lower Manhattan -including Battery Park, the Winter Garden, Wall street. Ground Zero, St Paul's Chapel and more. Dinner on our own at South Street Seaport." $89.00

I thought -like most of the 42 people on the bus that we would spend the day on Ellis Island and maybe take the ferry back to Liberty Island then back to Battery Park where the bus would drive us around for an hour with a local guide on the Microphone and then an hour or so for dinner. Having billed the trip as Ellis Island -we would spend most of the day there. Or so I thought.

Wrong- after the money was paid -about a week before the trip; the itinerary came out and the majority of the time was going to be spent on the four hours tour of lower Manhattan. :(( Bottom line -we got two really unusual tours and not sufficient time for the reason I bought the tour -Ellis Island!!

I could have spent 1 1/2 hours touring lower Manhattan and things relating to 9-11 . But that was all ; especially the day after the national coverage of the 8th anniversary. I would have liked to have spent all day at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Oh well.......

The best part was that my niece, Rachel (22 ),-decided she wanted to go on the trip with me! She graduated from college this year and has a job and a pay check and decided to spend the weekend with me. I am so blessed.

She lives in Pennsylvania, so she drove the almost 2 hours EAST and stayed with me Friday night and Saturday after we got home exhausted. We left my house at 5:30AM and drove to the Shore Mall around 6:15am -encountered no traffic -so we were on time) Rachel was up at 4:00 to shower and my alarm did not go off -but my back up cell phone alarm woke me at 4:30 -I showered the night before and had gotten everything together -sort of -I had about 4 hours of sleep -maybe :)) Rachel kept me on schedule. :))

I had a wing woman!!! to travel with -it was nice -Rachel is a very positive -upbeat friendly person -who likes to sit by the window (I like the the isle) is up for anything (the NYC tour guide had us walking Lower Manhattan in the rainy misty day and most of the people elected to stay on the bus -I had the wrong shoes on but Rachel had worn puddle splashing boots -so she splashed all ove NYC :)) and dear sweet Rachel -controlled me very well -'NO Aunt Robin we can NOT go off on our own and meet the bus -we dont know New York and there are lots of big white buses". Alone i would have stayed on Ellis and met up with the bus at Fulton Street. wherever that was compared to wherever I was. yea right.

It was awful when I missed the ferry from Skye back to the mainland of Scotland. The tour had to wait for me. It was unintended , I believe, but the tour guide had messed up and instead of a half day on Skye (as planned) we only had an hour. I was really upset -still makes me angry when I think about it. I think I may have to go back to Scotland.

Rachel and I had a nice dinner at Pier 17 (South Street Seaport)-third floor food court -Craepes (yes with an 'a') -I had a ham and cheese / Rachels was sweet spmething. I had never had one -it was good.

In fact the whole trip was good -not what I had expected -but good.

My next trip I really am solo -same tour group -up to Hudson River to see the fall Foliage. I still have no itinerary. But our tour guide did and apparently we will be seeing West Point and a Winery. I will pass on the Winery. So another adventure in travel. LOL Rachel and her mother may join me on the Hudson -because Boscov Travel centers are ALL offering the same trip on the same day and Karen called and they said we all meet up on one boat. LOL sure ............an adventure in the making!

Would I like to go back to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty Island ?-YES YES IN a heart beat. I really enjoyed it but missed a whole exhibit -the new wall and walking outside. Inside the walls are hung with hugh blow up pictures of some of the immigrants. I cried when the audio tape had the people tell their stories in their own words. There was so much I didnt get to see and read and research I never even started.

If you go and you should (but not with little Kids) www.nps.gov/stli or call 1-212363-3200 for info and hours.
Access is only by Ferry and security like the airport is before you board.

Go back to NYC ?-no. Ground Zero and the horrible destruction we saw from all the media coverage -was somber. So maybe when the memorial is completed ?-no -Manhattan is still a dirty, crowded city. I have other places to go....................

-except maybe..... a Broadway Show again (Mama Mia?) when Patty M. took me for my Birthday (Mary Poppins) one year and we found that neat third floor walk up Indian place that did waxing and henna tattoos and THREADED eyebrows - ok I would go back to have my eyebrow's done again and a show.

Oh and Lunch at Sardi's -yep -Rachel would love that :))